'Fiscal cliff' poses threat to parks, sites

Published: Thursday, October 11, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, October 10, 2012 at 6:10 p.m.

No matter what the political terrain looks like after the Nov. 6 election, the next congressman representing Western North Carolina should work to protect the public parks and lands that fuel the tourism economy here in the mountains.

Regardless of who wins the presidential race or whether Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate, the nation faces a “fiscal cliff” — austerity measures that will trigger automatically if Congress does not agree on a plan to cut the deficit by January. The nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association estimates that 100 to 150 park units will have to be closed, and other parks will have services severely curtailed, in the event of these across-the-board cuts.

Federal budget cutbacks have already forced National Park Service units such as the Carl Sandburg Home and the Blue Ridge Parkway to do with less over the past decade, even as visitation has increased, staff writer Nathaniel Axtell reported last month. The parkway is now operating with 80 maintenance workers, down from 120 in 2001, despite an estimated $385 million backlog in projects along the 469-mile scenic road.

At Connemara, Carl Sandburg’s home in Flat Rock, visitation is up 15 to 20 percent in the fiscal year that ends this month. But operational funding for the park, which includes staff salaries, decreased this year, and $155,000 worth of projects had to be put off due to lack of funding.

“We deal with it in many ways,” says Superintendent Connie Backlund, who is retiring this month after 18 years. “What we’ve done in the last fiscal year is operate really conservatively. We have positions that we haven’t filled. And we are so fortunate to have a really grand volunteer program. They help in all aspects of park operations.”

Years of deferring projects, utilizing volunteers and letting positions go unfilled has gotten the Park Service through lean times, but now the agency faces what park advocates say is a looming crisis. The parkway is making contingency plans in the event Congress does not settle its differences and triggers an across-the-board cut of 8 percent for all federal agencies, including the Park Service, in January.

An NPCA study found 88 percent of the Parkway’s budget goes to fixed costs and full-time staff, or their equivalent. It will be hard to cut 8 to 10 percent from funds remaining for operational needs without curtailing services or cutting maintenance and safety projects. At the Sandburg Home, further budget cuts will cut into the site’s mission to preserve the poet’s legacy and the artifacts of his final home.

The parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains draw millions of visitors to our region each year. On a smaller scale, the Sandburg Home is important to the local economy and a significant part of our cultural heritage. With growing federal deficits, budget cuts are inevitable. Supporters of our public lands and our representatives in Congress must make sure these cornerstones of our tourism economy are not irreparably damaged as lawmakers try to deal with the deficit.

<p>No matter what the political terrain looks like after the Nov. 6 election, the next congressman representing Western North Carolina should work to protect the public parks and lands that fuel the tourism economy here in the mountains.</p><p>Regardless of who wins the presidential race or whether Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate, the nation faces a fiscal cliff  austerity measures that will trigger automatically if Congress does not agree on a plan to cut the deficit by January. The nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association estimates that 100 to 150 park units will have to be closed, and other parks will have services severely curtailed, in the event of these across-the-board cuts.</p><p>Federal budget cutbacks have already forced National Park Service units such as the Carl Sandburg Home and the Blue Ridge Parkway to do with less over the past decade, even as visitation has increased, staff writer Nathaniel Axtell reported last month. The parkway is now operating with 80 maintenance workers, down from 120 in 2001, despite an estimated $385 million backlog in projects along the 469-mile scenic road.</p><p>At Connemara, Carl Sandburg’s home in Flat Rock, visitation is up 15 to 20 percent in the fiscal year that ends this month. But operational funding for the park, which includes staff salaries, decreased this year, and $155,000 worth of projects had to be put off due to lack of funding.</p><p>We deal with it in many ways, says Superintendent Connie Backlund, who is retiring this month after 18 years. What we’ve done in the last fiscal year is operate really conservatively. We have positions that we haven’t filled. And we are so fortunate to have a really grand volunteer program. They help in all aspects of park operations.</p><p>Years of deferring projects, utilizing volunteers and letting positions go unfilled has gotten the Park Service through lean times, but now the agency faces what park advocates say is a looming crisis. The parkway is making contingency plans in the event Congress does not settle its differences and triggers an across-the-board cut of 8 percent for all federal agencies, including the Park Service, in January.</p><p>An NPCA study found 88 percent of the Parkway’s budget goes to fixed costs and full-time staff, or their equivalent. It will be hard to cut 8 to 10 percent from funds remaining for operational needs without curtailing services or cutting maintenance and safety projects. At the Sandburg Home, further budget cuts will cut into the site’s mission to preserve the poet’s legacy and the artifacts of his final home.</p><p>The parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains draw millions of visitors to our region each year. On a smaller scale, the Sandburg Home is important to the local economy and a significant part of our cultural heritage. With growing federal deficits, budget cuts are inevitable. Supporters of our public lands and our representatives in Congress must make sure these cornerstones of our tourism economy are not irreparably damaged as lawmakers try to deal with the deficit.</p>